Automotive vehicles are, normally, powered by internal combustion engines. The internal combustion engine maybe gasoline, diesel or liquefied petroleum gas. Also, there is, normally, associated with the internal combustion engine a radiator and other heat exchangers for receiving a hot fluid such as hot liquid water or water mixed fluids from the internal combustion engine, or oils from other components. The internal combustion engine has a crank shaft and there is a fan mounted on the engine and which fan receives power from the crank shaft. The fan assists in the flow of air passing through the radiator for cooling the cooling fluid or cooling water in the radiator and attached heat exchangers before returning the cooling fluid or cooling water to the internal combustion engine or other components.
There are some internal combustion engines that are air cooled such as an air cooled diesel engine, air cooled gasoline engine and air cooled liquefied petroleum gas engine. The percentage of internal combustion engines which are air cooled is a small percentage. However, other vehicle systems or components may require temperature exchange units to which this invention would apply.
An automotive vehicle which has an internal combustion engine and a radiator and a fan normally requires the use of a fan at low speeds, viz., 25 miles per hour or less to provide sufficient cooling airflow. At these low speeds there is not enough airflow to cool the cooling fluid or cooling water in the radiator or attached heat exchangers. Therefore, a fan is required to cool the cooling fluid or cooling water.
At highway speeds there is normally sufficient airflow passing through the radiator or attached heat exchangers to cool the cooling fluid or cooling water and there is no need to have a fan for auxiliary cooling purposes. In most automotive vehicles when the crank shaft rotates the fan rotates. At low speeds this is necessary. At speeds greater than 25 miles per hour normally the rotation of the fan is a needless waste of energy. Even though the fan is not required for cooling purposes for an automobile operating above 25 miles per hour, the fan when attached to the crank shaft still rotates at these higher speeds and requires energy for rotation which usually results in a waste of energy and fuel.
In the past few years there has been a desire to lessen the waste of energy due to the rotation of the fan. For example, there have been brought forth flexible blade fans and which flexible blades may be made of plastic or stainless steel. The blades are in a normally curved position. At a rest condition the blades of the fan are curved. This is so that there is greater airflow induced by the rotation of the fan at lower speeds. At speeds above 25 miles per hour the blades tend to flatten and are not as curved, thereby decreasing the amount of resistance due to the rotation of the blades. Remember, at speeds greater than 25 miles per hour, it is not necessary to have a fan for cooling the fluid in the radiator. At the higher speeds and with the flexible blade fans the blades have flattened and there is less resistance to the rotation of the blades and therefore less use of energy and less waste of energy on the part of the rotating fan and on the engine that is causing the fan to rotate. Clutches and declutching devices to which fan blades are attached are similarly employed, however, are expensive, heavier, prone to fail, and require more energy to function.
There are air conditioning condenser, oil cooler, transmission oil cooler, hydraulic oil cooler, heaters, air conditioners and other devices that rely on air movement to exchange temperatures. This device is able to be mounted directly to those temperature dissipation surfaces and permits remote location of such devices because they do not have to rely on ram air or engine driven fans for temperature exchanging airflow.